Bittersweet
by RiotGirl09
Summary: A bit angsty, definetly AU. A Sora-bashing zexiri fic  there just aren't enough out there! .


"Seriously, Kairi, what do you see in him?"

"Zex, we've been over this." My best friend let loose an exasperated sigh. "I know you don't like him-"

"Understatement of the century." I huffed, sinking even lower into the armchair I occupied. "He's an idiot. And a royal asshole, I might add."

I could hear her sigh all the way from the small apartment kitchen we shared. "He's not the same kid we knew. He's changed now, and he's apologized about a million times for what's happened. I know it doesn't make what happened better-" She always knew exactly what I was thinking. "But can you please just give him a chance? For me?"

Now it was my turn to sigh. As much as I hated this kid, I couldn't deny her. It had been that way since we were little, when it had just been the two of us. "Fine. One chance."

"Thanks Zex!" I jolted as she placed a kiss on the top of my head. "And don't worry. You're still my best friend, and always will be. We made a promise, remember?"

How could I forget? It may have been years upon years ago, but it seemed like only yesterday in my mind.

The two of us were little, her barely having entered school. We were holed away in our Secret Place, laughing at our own cleverness. That was something we did a lot back then… I remembered being surprised when she suddenly grew silent, her indigo eyes focused on the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my little hand reaching towards her.

"Can you promise me something?" She turned towards me, still strangely serious for someone so small.

"Anything." Even then, I had been infatuated, unable to say no to anything she wanted.

"Promise we'll be together always. That we'll be best friends forever." She thrust her hand, even smaller than mine, towards me with only her pinky finger extended. I smiled, relieved, and slipped my own finger through hers.

"I promise."

And we had kept that promise. From then on, we were together all the time, and I couldn't remember being happier. One never heard my name mentioned without hers, and vice versa. We went through everything together, sharing all of the important firsts that life dishes out. I held her through her first heartbreak, she led me through my first dance. I was front and center at her first recital (she never danced in public after that), and she was there cheering me on through my first driver's test (which I passed. Eventually). She had many relationships, none of which lasted very long, while other girls never seemed to draw my attention. We complemented each other perfectly, until Sora came along.

For years, we had both hated him. He was a bully and a jerk, constantly picking on anyone and everyone he could. He even hurt one of our friends, Demyx, so badly that we never saw him again. After that, it was Kairi's turn to hold me while I cried. Demyx had been the one other person I was close to, out third musketeer. He was hyper, and sometimes a bit annoying, but he rounded us out. He was the perfect companion whenever the other wasn't around, and losing him broke my heart more than anything I'd ever experienced. Kairi had held me tight, let me cry like all those times after a boy had ripped her heart to pieces. She often called Demyx my first love, but she couldn't have been further from the truth.

But now, everything had changed. Instead of hating him, like we used to, Kairi grew fond of Sora. For the first time, we disagreed on something (besides which type of ice cream was best: She was a strong proponent of sea-salt, while I favored vanilla). We were being driven apart, and all because of him. I don't know what he did, or how he did it, but this kid was quickly turning into a wedge, driving my best friend and I apart, little by little. I hated him even more for it, for taking so much away from me.

As much as I hated it, years passed this way. Kairi and I stayed best friends, of course, but it wasn't the same. She spent more and more time with Sora, and became more and more secretive. She changed, little by little, until barely recognized her. The light in her eyes, the light that made my stomach flip-flop every time, was gone. She started donning long, dark clothing, and stopped laughing. She was in pain, it was obvious, but I couldn't do anything. I was helpless, trapped behind an invisible wall as I watched her fade away into nothing, a shadow of herself.

"Kairi." I said one day. I was startled when she looked at me, her once bright face now hollow and gaunt, her once shining eyes now lifeless and dull. "What is he doing to you?"

"Nothing." My best friend turned away, wrapping her arms around her thin frame, a pose I was more than familiar with now. It was like she was shielding herself, and it made me want to cry.

"He's hurting you Kai." I pleaded, desperate. "Let me help."

She didn't release her hold on herself, didn't even look at me. "You can't." was her only answer, as a single tear slid down her cheek. I felt my own eyes water in response, my own salty-tears joining her one. I couldn't take it anymore- I couldn't let her go, not like this. It took all my strength to hug her, to push past my self-imposed boundaries on my feelings for her. I half expected her to pull away, and cried even more when I felt her thin limbs wrap around my own thin torso, when her soft lips found mine. This was what I had wanted all along, dreamed of for years, yet I had never thought it would happen like this. Happily ever after wasn't supposed to be so bittersweet.


End file.
